


Walk the Line

by goldfyshie927



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/F, Fluff and Smut, It's gonna be a wild ride, Smut, but i promise, lots of angst to come, you'll hate me but you'll love me, you'll love me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-09-27 22:43:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10055147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldfyshie927/pseuds/goldfyshie927
Summary: Lena is enjoying a budding relationship with her girlfriend Kara, but when Kara vanishes for a week without a trace, it's up to Lena to find out what's happened to her. But as Lena digs deeper, she uncovers answers that turn her life on its head and make her question everything she once knew.





	1. Chapter 1

“Lena.” It was quiet, barely a whisper. Lena wasn’t sure if she’d heard it or if she’d dreamt it. Just on this side of sleep, she pushed herself deeper into the blankets, wrapped up and warm. As she began to drift back to sleep, she heard it again.

“Lena.” A nuzzle accompanied it, Kara’s soft cheek pressed against Lena’s bare shoulder. She smiled, her eyes still shut tight.

“Babe?” Kara whispered. Her fingers found Lena’s. “I miss you.”

Lena cracked an eye open. She’d fallen asleep, curled up on Kara’s bed while Kara worked on an article. It was supposed to be date night but there had been some serious developments on a story Kara was chasing and Lena didn’t want to stand in the way of her writing. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but she had laid down for a moment as she listened to Kara brainstorm and her bed was so soft and so comfortable and her pillows smelled just like her so she’d pushed her face against one and she didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep until Kara’s voice roused her. She opened both eyes, blinking into the soft light coming from Kara’s lamp, and glanced up at Kara’s face. “Hello.” She looked toward the clock glowing softly only the nightstand. It was just after 10:00, their dinner reservation well passed.

Kara traced a pattern on the skin of Lena’s inner arm. “Sorry that took so long. I was running short on my deadline.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It was just a long day. I’m here. I’m awake,” Lena responded. She sat up and yawned, stretching.

Kara watched her, her blue eyes roaming along her body for a few moments. Looking away, she rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. “I feel really bad about the reservation. I know it wasn’t easy to get.”

Lena shook her head. “Honestly, it’s not a big deal.” She shrugged one shoulder and smiled, her cheekbones turning light pink. “I just want to spend time with you. It doesn’t matter what we do.”

“Me too,” Kara replied with a grin of her own. “I ordered some food. Are you hungry?” she asked, standing up. She began to rummage through her drawers, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Lena thought for a moment and realized that the last time she’d eaten had been breakfast. “Famished.”

“Good,” came Kara’s reply. “Also, if you’d like to get more comfortable, you can borrow these.” She set the clothes on the bed.

Lena looked over her dress, still pressed and ready for a night on the town. “I think I’ll take you up on that,” she said with a laugh. “Thank you.”

Kara smiled and saluted her as she made her way to the door. “I’ll let you change. Meet you in the kitchen?” Lena nodded and Kara left the room.

It was the first time Kara had seen Lena in anything outside of business or evening wear. She walked came around the corner, wearing her baggy sweatpants and her white t-shirt that was a size too big. Lena had rolled the sleeves up in an effort to make it fit and her hair was still done in that soft bun but she’d washed off most of her makeup and she smelled a little like a mixture of her perfume and Kara’s face wash and, damn.

“I hope it’s okay,” Lena gestured towards the bathroom. “I used your facewash. My skin felt kind of grimy after sleeping in my makeup.”

Kara let out a short burst of distracted laughter as she straightened her glasses. “Not at all. What’s mine is yours.” She set the food down and the two began to pull out boxes and containers. Kara had ordered enough to feed a small army and Lena marveled, not for the first time, at the amount of food Kara managed to eat.

They ate and talked and laughed for hours, drinking more than their fair share of wine as they exchanged stories and shared personal information. Lena was beautifully buzzed, her skin warm and her eyes bright. She watched the world tilt, just a little bit, as she walked from the table to the couch, bringing her glass of wine with her.

Lena watched Kara move about her kitchen, putting leftover food away, every so often glancing at Lena. She studied Kara’s movements, the way she idly tapped the counter as she’d walk past it, and as she studied, she wondered what Kara was thinking. She drank her wine slowly, eyes watching Kara as she made her way around the kitchen, and suddenly her ears picked up on something. Kara was humming. She wasn’t sure if it was a song she didn’t recognize or just a nameless tune, but it was utterly enchanting. Lena smiled behind her glass, happy for the chance to watch Kara unnoticed.

A few minutes later, Kara climbed onto the couch, legs folded beneath her, and looked at Lena with a smile, her head tilted to one side. “How are you?” she asked Lena.

Lena set her now-empty glass to the side. “Probably a little more buzzed than sober but I’m good. That nap gave me a second wind. How are you?”

“Good.” Kara stared at Lena, a soft grin on her face. “I’m really glad you came over tonight.”

“I am, too.” Lena stretched her legs out, resting her feet on the coffee table. “What do you wanna do?”  
Kara shrugged. “Want to watch a movie?”

They went back and forth about what to watch for several minutes, finally settling on a movie and Kara resumed her place by Lena’s side after putting it in. She reached behind Lena to turn off the lamp behind her and for a few seconds, their faces were intimately close. Her cheek just barely brushed Lena’s and Lena tried not to lean into the contact. It was warm and soft and far too brief and when Kara pulled away, she wanted to pull her back, press their cheeks together again, and lose herself in Kara for a little while.

Lena relaxed against the armrest, comfortable and warm. Kara moved close, sandwiched between the couch and Lena’s side, and Lena lifted her arm to wrap it around her. The movie played through the opening credits and into the first few scenes and, try as she might, Lena couldn’t focus on the plot. Kara’s hair was soft and brushed against her cheek every time she shifted in Lena’s arms. Kara’s head was a comfortable weight resting against Lena’s chest. Then Kara began to trace patterns on Lena’s arm where it rested against her stomach and she felt her heart start to pound. Lena swore Kara could hear her heartbeat as she saw a slight smile cross her face.

After a while, Kara’s fingers stilled. Lena frowned slightly, wondering why Kara stopped and if it would be too strange to ask her to continue. As she debated asking, Kara pressed her head against her chest and up toward her neck, nuzzling her lightly. Lena sighed, her stomach filling with butterflies. Kara moved her arm across Lena’s stomach, pulling herself closer. Lena tightened her arm around Kara’s shoulders and lowered her head, resting her cheek against Kara’s hair. She closed her eyes, the movie forgotten, and let Kara move against her.

Kara tilted her head up and pressed her lips against Lena’s neck and Lena gasped. Her heart sped up again and goosebumps broke out across her skin. Kara kissed her again, then slowly dragged her tongue up her throat. Lena arched her back, pressing herself against Kara. She felt Kara’s fingers move beneath the hem of her shirt, stroking her sides. She kissed her way up Lena’s neck and Lena melted against the armrest, lifting her throat to Kara’s mouth. She felt heady, the wine still buzzing through her veins, her heart beating a steady, fast rhythm in her chest. Lena moved her hand up Kara’s back and into her hair, holding her head close as Kara licked and nipped at her neck, her teeth biting gently against the curve of her jaw. Lena was lost in the sensation of Kara’s fingers on her skin, the way they slid against her ribs and across her stomach. Her breathing came in gasps, her fingers shaking in Kara’s hair, her skin overheating.

Kara stopped her slow ascent, her lips a hairsbreadth from Lena’s. Lena opened her eyes to meet Kara’s, her lips parted slightly, her breath coming hard. Kara glanced down at Lena’s lips and bit her own. It felt like a lifetime and it felt like a microsecond and then their mouths were pressed together and Lena was gasping against Kara’s mouth and Kara had somehow moved between Lena’s legs and was pushing her hips against Lena’s. Lena felt dizzy, her hands gripping Kara’s shirt, her legs hiked up around Kara’s hips. Kara wasn’t close enough, Lena needed her closer. She raked her nails up Kara’s back and Kara moaned, her tongue pressing into Lena’s mouth.

Kara sat back on her knees suddenly and Lena whined at the distance. Pulling her shirt off, Kara tossed it behind her, then pulled Lena to sit so she could do the same for her. Lena pushed her arms around Kara’s waist, kissing her chest, touching the curve of her lower back, tasting the soft skin of her breasts. Kara’s head fell back, her mouth dropped open, and a groan came from her lips. Then her fingers were in Lena’s hair and she was lowering her to the couch. Kara’s palms slid up Lena’s ribs and around her back, unhooking Lena’s bra and pulling it from her chest. They were skin to skin now. Lena arched, one hand gripping the couch, the other splayed against Kara’s back as Kara took a nipple between her lips. She sucked lightly and Lena saw stars. She hummed, a slight whine in it. Kara moved from one breast to the other, kissing, licking, and Lena felt herself growing wetter.

Kara slid her hand into Lena’s pants, her hand moving slowly across her hip bones and between her legs. When she slid her fingers against Lena’s wetness, Kara hummed with pleasure. For Lena, it was sensation overload. It was like fire, electricity, and Lena couldn’t help but arch closer. She felt slightly mad, her legs trembling, her breath coming in gasps. She pulled Kara down to kiss her, her tongue licking gently against her lips. Kara dropped her forehead to rest on Lena’s collarbone as she worked her fingers against her. Lena felt it in her toes, in her fingers, in her head. Her legs shook, her fingers dancing along Kara’s skin. Lena watched Kara’s muscles tense in her back and arm as she worked her. She wanted to memorize the fall and rise of Kara’s body as she breathed. She tried to keep her eyes open as long as she could, watching, tracing Kara’s skin.

But Kara crooked her finger inside of Lena and her eyes squeezed shut. Her skin was hot and there was a knot coiling in her stomach and her breathing was heavy and her nails bit into the skin of Kara’s back as she pulled her closer, closer, closer. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. She curled towards Kara, her entire body singing. It was light and dark and fire and ice and she felt too much but it wasn’t enough.

“Kara,” Lena gasped. “Kara.” She couldn’t say anything but her name. And even that came in a whisper, breathy and stuttered, as Kara lifted her higher and higher. Her orgasm was close, pulling, tugging at Lena’s limbs, making her feel tight all over. She gripped Kara’s arms, clutching her biceps.

“Lena,” Kara said, her breath hot against Lena’s neck. “Let go.” She pulled back for a moment, her eyes meeting Lena’s before she crooked her finger one last time, almost beckoning her on.

Lena fell, her orgasm coming out of her in wordless sounds of pleasure, moans and whimpers, and something akin to a whine. She wrapped her legs around Kara, pulling her in, rocking against her hand where it still moved between them. Lena bit down against Kara’s shoulder, muffling the sound. But her body moved of it’s own volition and she fell back against the cushions, her legs trembling, her heartbeat racing through her, her toes curled. She heard herself saying Kara’s name over and over in a quiet chant. Kara’s fingers continued to pull the orgasm from her, slowing but never stopping. It was beautiful torture and as Lena began to surface, she wrapped her fingers around Kara’s wrist, wordlessly telling her she needed reprieve. Kara removed her hand then, allowing Lena to catch her breath. She couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of her. Gloriously exhausted, she lay beneath Kara’s heated body for a few moments, reveling in the weight of her.

Kara brushed the sweat dampened hair from Lena’s forehead, then pressed a kiss to her cheek. “That good, huh?” she asked with a smile.

Lena nodded, her voice finally coming back to her. “You could say that.”

Kara kissed her, their lips moving together. Her hands traced Lena’s shoulders and neck, touching her gently, as if she was delicate. Lena’s body felt boneless, her energy spent, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Kara reached over the back of the couch and pulled a throw over their bodies, then curled around Lena’s body, spooning her.

“You go to sleep,” Kara whispered, turning off the TV with the remote.

The room darkened and Lena let her breathing slow down, steadying. She could almost feel Kara’s heartbeat through her back, her breath fluttering through Lena’s hair at the base of her head. Kara entwined their fingers and Lena tightened hers around Kara’s. Lena relaxed, the comforting warmth of Kara’s body around her enough to lull her quickly to sleep.

* * *

 

Lena’s hands were clenched, gripping at the memory of Kara’s fingers in hers. Had it only been seven days? She lay in bed, wide awake, her shoulders tight and her head throbbing. Sleep was nowhere to be found, not when she had a worry this large weighing on her, looming over her. It was suffocating. For the thousandth time, she picked her phone up off the bedside table and tapped the power button. Nothing. Not a single message, missed phone call, or email from Kara. She wasn’t surprised. It’s not like she could have missed it. But the lack of surprise didn’t quell the pit she had in her stomach, the one that told her something was very, very wrong.

It wasn’t like Kara to be so non-responsive. She was busy, yes. Her work kept her up late some nights, sometimes she had assignments that were somewhat dangerous. But she always kept Lena in the loop somehow. Even if it was just a quick check in. It was something they’d established early on in their relationship: always keep in touch.

Lena knew sleep wouldn’t come. Just like it hadn’t the last night, or the one before that, or for any of the last five nights she’d tossed and turned, waiting for anything, only sleeping in short bursts when her body was too exhausted to do anything else. She sat up, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes so hard she saw stars. She just needed to know Kara was okay, that she was safe. That was all Lena wanted. Then she could sleep.  
She’d gone to CatCo, been to Noonan’s, even over to Kara’s apartment, but all avenues had been less than helpful. No one seemed to know where she was or, at the very least, forthcoming with any information about her possible whereabouts. Her boss and coworkers at CatCo had told her that they couldn’t give out any personal information on their staff members; even James Olsen and Winn had pled ignorance. Noonan’s was a bust. No one had seen her there in a week. And her persistent pounding at Kara’s door nearly every evening and sometimes at random hours of the day had been met with silence. She didn’t have any other choice. She’d have to meet with Alex Danvers.

She wasn’t looking forward to it but was desperate at this point. Lena knew her relationship with Alex was strained at best. She’d felt Alex’s reservations in regards to her relationship with Kara. Lena figured it had to do with the Luthor family reputation, as well as a certain protective obligation older siblings usually had for their younger ones. But she knew that if anyone had an idea of where Kara was or could be, it would be Alex.

Lena went to her window, staring out at the city under an ever lightening morning sky, and tried to tell herself that it was all okay, that Kara was safe and this was all just a misunderstanding. She was smart. She knew how to fix big problems, how to find weaknesses and make them strong. And she never shied away from scary situations. But something in Lena’s bones kept her from fully believing her own pep talk.

No, something was deeply wrong. Lena knew it was up to her to find out what it was. And she would. She’d do whatever it took.


	2. Chapter 2

Lena was nervous, wringing her hands as she sat and waited. She’d asked Alex to meet her at her office during lunch, then told Jess not to let them be interrupted. It was a morning of waiting: waiting for Alex to respond to her text message, of waiting for a late conference call, of waiting for the numbers to come in from accounting. She checked her watch again. Two minutes had passed. She stood, turning towards her balcony. Last night, she’d had the thought that maybe she should get Supergirl involved to find Kara. But she had no idea how to get in touch with Supergirl without Kara. And she hadn’t seen much on Supergirl in the news these days.

The frustration of being so powerless welled up inside Lena, threatening to escape through her eyes. She pressed her hands down on her desk, pushing, pushing, channeling her frustration through her palms and willing it away. Seconds ticked by and she felt it start to dissipate, for now.

“Get a grip, Lena,” she said to herself. She straightened, pressing a hand down her skirt and tucking in the back of her blouse, glancing at the door. Another check of her watch told her that three minutes had passed. A knock on the door startled her.

“Yes?” Lena called.

Jess opened the door, walking in with Alex behind her. “Alex Danvers is here for you, ma’am,” she said.

Lena nodded. “Thank you, Jess.”

Her assistant gave her a small smile and left, shutting the door behind her. Alex looked at Lena warily, a question on her face. Lena gestured towards a chair in front of her desk. She took the other chair, choosing to sit nearer to Alex than her desk chair would allow.

“Thank you for agreeing to see me,” Lena said.

Alex gave Lena a tight smile. She was quiet for a moment. “What did you need, Lena?”

Lena took a deep breath, then expelled it. “I know we’re not particularly close. I wouldn’t have bothered you otherwise.” She leaned forward. “But, I’m worried about Kara. I’ve been trying to reach her for a week. It’s not like her to just fall off the grid like this.” Lena fought for control over herself, her voice growing thick, catching in her throat. She cleared it, then continued, her eyes searching Alex’s face. “Do you know where she is? Is she okay?”

Alex blinked, her jaw clenching. Leaning back, she stared out the window. Her answer was quick, succinct. “She took a little trip.”

Lena balked, her eyebrow lifting. “A trip?” she echoed, confused. “Kara didn’t tell me she was going on a trip.”

Alex looked back at her, her eyes and mouth tight. “Yes. A trip. She needed to get away. That’s what she told me before she left. Just because you’re dating, doesn’t mean Kara has to tell you everything about her or her plans,” Alex said brusquely.

Lena was taken aback. She knew Alex didn’t like her, that she didn’t love the fact that she was in a relationship with her little sister. But despite her misgivings, Alex had never treated her like this before. Their relationship was cordial, even somewhat friendly at times. She’d spent several nights with Kara and Alex and their friend group, playing games, going out for drinks. Lena had even invited them all to one of her lavish corporate events. She had been confident that she was bridging the gap between herself and Alex, that they would eventually be friends. Her mind scrambled to process how Alex was treating her. Alex’s strange behavior aside, Lena knew that Kara would never leave without telling her, that she wouldn’t just disappear without any sort of warning. Alex’s reason for Kara being gone made no sense. It just didn’t. She couldn’t understand why Alex was telling her this. It seemed to Lena as though Alex was covering for Kara, lying to Lena for some reason. And she couldn’t come up with a single reason why that would be.

“I don’t understand,” Lena protested. “Why would Kara just leave and not tell me?” Her confusion was quickly dissolving into anger.

“Maybe she had it planned before you two got together. Maybe she just wanted to be alone. How am I supposed to know?” Alex replied dismissively. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

Lena broke then. She stood. “I know you don’t like me. You’ve made that very clear. But you don’t have to lie to me. Some spur of the moment trip was the best you could come up with?”

Alex just stared at her, her face stony. Even as she asked, Lena knew she wouldn’t get anything more out of Alex. Her chest felt tight, her stomach dropping. This was just as much of a dead end as every other avenue she’d taken.

Alex finally spoke, her voice cold. “I told you where Kara is. If that’s all you wanted to know, you could have just called me.” She moved towards the door, leaving the conversation behind her.

Lena was spiraling, desperate, needing to know anything that Alex knew. Lena swallowed her anger.

“Please,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry. I snapped; that was wrong of me. I haven’t slept much; I’m just so worried. No one seems to know where she is. Or no one will tell me.”

Alex stopped, her hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, the sleepless nights began to catch up with Lena and all of the emotions she had shut away began coming up to the surface. Lena sat down heavily. She felt the tears building behind her eyes, that sharp pain in the bridge of her nose that told her a breakdown was imminent. Shaky, she lifted a hand and pressed it between her eyebrows, trying to stop the onslaught. It didn’t do much good and a tear escaped the corner of her eye, rolling down her cheek before she could stop it. Exhaustion and anxiety packed one hell of a punch and Lena felt cornered in her helplessness.

“Please,” she said again, her voice quiet.

Alex turned back toward her. “Lena,” she said, more gently this time. “I told you where Kara is. Just leave it be. She’ll be back soon, I’m sure.” She left abruptly, shutting the door behind her with a finality that told Lena she would just have to find some other source of information on her missing girlfriend.

* * *

Alex left Lena’s office with a pit in her stomach and the need to hit something, hard. Their conversation, though brief, had been frustrating and absolutely empty of any substantial information. Lena’s assistant tried to stop her, but Alex kept walking, making her way to the elevators and then the lobby and finally outside into the light drizzle that had started during her visit to L-Corp. She turned her head up, letting the water fall on her face for a moment, before she lifted the collar of her jacket and began to walk. She needed this, the solitude, time to think, a chance to be alone with the situation and try to piece together what was going on.

Kara was missing, that much was sure. When she hadn’t heard from Kara for a couple of days, she hadn’t been too worried. She knew Kara was enjoying the newness of her relationship with Lena, even if she didn’t necessarily approve of her desire to be with a Luthor. Lena could be dangerous. Her family proved as much. But she was trying to give Kara some space to make her own decisions and find what she’d found in Maggie. Still, after several days had passed and she hadn’t been able to reach her, she began to suspect the worst: Lena was somehow involved in Kara disappearing. The DEO hadn’t found a trace of Kara, none of her friends or coworkers knew where she was either.

It had come as a blessing in disguise when Lena texted her. Alex would get the chance to sit down with Lena in a non-formal setting and see what information she could glean from her. But she’d been surprised when Lena had been the one to broach the topic of Kara’s disappearance. And Lena’s every reaction rang authentic. She was genuinely concerned, her fear coming out of her in waves that Alex couldn’t deny. In her bones, Alex knew Lena had no idea where Kara was.

Part of her was relieved. She hadn’t wanted Lena to be guilty. Despite her concerns about Lena, she knew Kara cared deeply for her and that she believed Lena was more than just a Luthor. And Kara seemed to have been right about Lena’s true character. Alex was grateful; she could never have forgiven herself for not protecting Kara better if the opposite had proved true. But the other, louder part of her grew more troubled. If Lena wasn’t involved, then where was Kara? Who had her? Was she hurt? Her concern grew and grew and she desperately wished she had a glass of scotch to take the edge off. Alex shook her head; this was no time for drinking. She texted Maggie, letting her know she’d be working late and to not wait up, then called Hank to let him know what had happened. It was time to step up their search.

* * *

Lena leaned against her desk, her face cradled in her hands. Alex had left, no fanfare, no goodbye, nothing. She didn’t care about Lena’s concern. She hadn’t wanted to tell her what she knew. And Lena didn’t blame her. She was a Luthor, after all. Alex had no reason to trust her. But she’d hoped that Kara’s faith in her and their relationship would somehow soften Alex’s opinion of her, make Alex more willing to disclose whatever information she had. Lena swallowed hard, forcing the tears to stay where they were. She had nothing to go on now. And by Alex’s account, she had no reason to worry anyway. But she couldn’t deny what she felt in her gut. Kara was in trouble, she knew that much.

Lena’s despair became anger. She hurled her cup of pens at the window, not even making a dent as it bounced off the glass surface.

Jess peeked her head in the door at the noise. “Miss Luthor, is everything okay?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Lena didn’t turn around, her hands closed in fists at her side. “No. Please cancel the rest of my day.” She didn’t try to hide the growl of emotion in her voice, the way her throat closed around the end of her sentence. It was all too much, too much. She was losing this battle, fast, and needed to be alone when everything came toppling down on top of her. Jess didn’t respond, leaving in silence, shutting the door behind her.

Lena breathed deep, trying to get air into her lungs, trying to quell powerlessness she felt. Her office felt too small, the high ceiling felt as if it was caving in on her, the walls were suddenly too narrow. It was all too much. She needed something, anything, to numb everything she felt. She grabbed at the nearest bottle of liquor she could find from her wet bar and drank straight from it, relishing in the burn that somehow hurt less than everything she was feeling. She drank, pull after pull from the bottle, alternating between downing the brown liquid and wreaking havoc on her office. A lamp was thrown against the wall, damaging the canvas of a painting and shattering the glass shade and bulb. She shoved her chairs over, cracking the frame of one and denting the other. Her whiskey gone, she started on the vodka.

As Lena picked her phone up, ready to smash it against the ground, a sticky note she’d taped to it fell onto her desk. She picked it up to read the note scrawled across its neon surface.  
Thanks for the interview. You looked beautiful. xoxoxo Kara  
PS - see you tonight :)  
She touched the words, her fingers shaking, and then the tears came. They came in waves, crashing over her, falling down her face and onto her silk blouse. Little stains as a reminder of the pain she felt, the anger, the helplessness, the panic. She wept into her hands. She was drowning and no one would save her. No one knew. No one cared. And when she couldn’t stand anymore, she fell to her knees, bruising them against the floor. The alcohol filled her up and fuzzied her brain but did little to numb her. No, she felt everything. And when Jess returned two hours later to check on Lena, she found someone broken, asleep on the floor, with the remnants of her destruction around her.

* * *

Kara woke with a start, nearly blind in the dark. Her stomach heaved and tears rose to her eyes. There was nothing in it, nothing came up but bile. It choked her and she cringed at the burn it left in her throat. She hurt, everywhere. And she couldn’t move. Why couldn’t she move? Looking down, she could see her wrists and ankles were bound to the hard table she lay on and she could see the green glow from the shackles that held her. Some sort of Kryptonite bindings. Kara wiggled her limbs, working through the pain that filled her up. It was no use. Her strength was completely gone. Her stomach rolled again, her head pounded, and panic filled her veins like ice. She began to shiver uncontrollably. She couldn’t remember anything. Where was she? What happened? And who did this to her?


	3. Chapter 3

Lena walked into L-Corp the next morning, hungover and a little worse for the wear. Her mind was full of Kara. She had become Lena’s shadow, following her around, haunting her restless dreams, the voice behind every question Lena had about this terrible situation. For as long as she could remember, Lena had been able to find answers to everything and anything she put her mind to. In school, she had excelled, a questioning mind, thinking outside the box to find solutions to problems others struggled with even understanding. It was what made her so good at what she did now, it was the reason L-Corp was thriving despite her family’s downfalls. But this? This was a problem she could not seem to work out. Lena drank her black coffee and stared out the window for long while, desperate for anything that might guide her in figuring out what was going on with Kara. But she had no answers. 

After a brief meeting with Jess to discuss everything that had been rescheduled, Lena put herself to work, determined to lose herself in the problems her company faced, problems she knew she could solve. She tried to, at least. Kara still followed her around, along with terrible, worrying thoughts about what could have happened to her. Lena tried to push them away as she typed up a report, desperate for something to ease her mind, any hint that Kara was okay. But Kara was all over this office. It was filled with memories - interviews they’d had at Lena’s desk, friendly conversations on her couch, the times Kara surprised her with a quick lunch so they could eat together if she had to work late. Lena couldn’t escape them. She forced herself to refocus, reading through some numbers accounting had sent up for review. Even as she calculated, she felt her mind wander to Kara. She shoved the thoughts away, exerting the self-control she was normally so proud of to help her finish the tasks she needed to take care of to keep L-Corp afloat. Late in the afternoon, she was finally able to lose herself in the mundane tasks at hand, for a few hours.

Lena worked later than normal, determined not to leave until she was caught up. When she finally came up for air, evening had fallen on the city. She stood and stretched, looking out her window at the darkened view. Her eyes searched the sky and she wished idly, and not for the first time, that she had some way to contact Supergirl. The thought of Supergirl sent her mind right back to Kara. And without work to keep her mind occupied, reality hit hard and fast, nearly knocking the wind out of her. She’d nearly been able to forget why she’d drunk herself blind last night. And now, it was all flooding back. 

Kara. She was gone. Maybe injured. Maybe worse. Had she been in an accident and Alex didn’t want to tell her? Or maybe she’d been taken for some reason? Her stories could hit people where it hurt. Maybe someone had taken offense at an article she’d written and wanted revenge. The thoughts grew overwhelmingly dark. Lena felt the panic in her fingers, then her stomach where it turned into knots, then her chest. It was heavy, hard, and she found she couldn’t breathe. For a long moment, Lena thought she’d lose herself to the fear again. Fisting her hands, she forced herself to take a breath, then another. In and out. In and out. The tension stayed in her chest but began to ease off and she felt the tightness in her shoulders and jaw fall away a little. 

Think this through, Lena told herself. What other options do you have? 

She decided to contact the police, calling them on her way home from work as she sat in the back of her car in the middle of traffic. A detective told her they’d make some inquiries and get back in touch with her that night. When she finally got home, she felt restless and raw. Pacing around her kitchen, Lena tried to ease the ball of tension that was building behind her eyes, the kind that told her tears were imminent. Helplessness didn’t suit her. It colored her view, made everything seem bleak and dull. It sunk into her bones, took away her breath, made her skittish. For someone who always had an answer, the pain of knowing nothing was sheer agony. Every little sound felt amplified and scratched away at her brain: the ticking of the clock, the sound of a horn blaring out on the street, even the click of her own heels against the wood floor. Lena glanced over at her wetbar, desperate for the burn of liquor, for the fire that would scald its way down her throat and would loosen the knot in her chest. Bad idea, she thought. She didn’t need a repeat of last night. So she did the only thing she could do: she waited. Standing near her counter, she pressed the power button on her phone, glancing at the empty screen. Patience was far from her reach but she fought for it anyway. Answers would come and she hoped they’d be the ones she was looking for.

The minutes ticked by, passing into hours that escaped Lena’s notice as she waited. Suddenly, her phone rang sharply, lighting up to notify her that the detective handling her case was calling. She picked up the phone, glancing at the clock on her stove. It was near midnight. With a scratch in her voice, she answered. 

“Yes?”

“Miss Luthor, it’s Detective Branson,” came the gruff reply. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“No, no. I wasn’t sleeping. Thank you for calling me back.” Lena bit down on her lip, waiting for him to go on. 

The detective cleared his throat. “Well, I just wanted to let you know that we’ve been in touch with Miss Danvers.”

Lena’s heart leapt into her throat. They’d spoken with her? “Wh - what do you mean?” she asked.

“Well we contacted her sister...” he paused, as if looking for something, then continued. “Alex Danvers. She explained that Miss Danvers had taken a spur of the moment trip but that they’d been in contact. She gave us Kara’s phone number where she’s staying and we were able to speak with her, confirming her sister’s story.” 

Lena’s eyebrows knit together and she frowned. Why hadn’t Alex given her Kara’s contact information? She knew how worried she was about Kara. “And she seemed okay? Not under any distress?” Lena probed the detective for more information.

He laughed tiredly. “No ma’am. She was perfectly okay. She seemed quite relaxed, not distressed at all. She said she had just wanted to get away for a while and took her trip on a whim and had accidentally left her cell phone at home. I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. It sounded like she’d be coming home soon.” 

“And she didn’t say where she was?” Lena asked. 

Detective Branson huffed a little, impatience coloring his voice. “Miss, I don’t think that there is anything out of the ordinary going on. We went by her apartment and everything was in order. Her sister wasn’t concerned. Her coworkers and friends weren’t either. She wanted to take a little trip and so she did.”

Lena felt dismissed, her heart heavy, as she thanked the detective who seemed all too eager to hang up the phone. She crumpled to the floor of her kitchen, unable to breathe, unable to cry, unable to do anything but sit and stare at the cabinets in front of her. Her mind was static, just a blank wall, and when she finally pulled herself out of it, she had no idea which direction to go. The detective’s story was just a little too neat, a little too out of character for Lena to believe, just as it had been with Alex. It was early in the dark morning and Lena knew she needed to try and get some sleep. She crawled into bed clutching her phone, hoping beyond all hope that maybe she’d wake up in the morning and find this had all been a terrible dream. 

Sleep came quickly, thankfully, and was deep, though it was fraught with nightmares that faded from Lena’s mind’s eye the moment she woke up, leaving behind only the emotional remnants of fear and hopelessness. They followed her all morning. As she got ready for work, her phone chimed, alerting her to an incoming message. She glanced down at it on her bathroom counter and sighed. Lillian. As if she needed, or wanted, to deal with her this morning. Lena couldn’t find the energy to add another layer of stress to her already overladen shoulders. 

The thought came to her like lightning, shocking her out of her exhausted stupor, and she nearly dropped her toothbrush. Lillian. Of course. Lillian had friends in low places. Lena knew she had the resources to spare to help her as well. The last thing she wanted to do was work with Lillian but it was her last resort. Lena was well and truly out of options. She picked up her phone and tapped the screen, opening the email her mother had sent her. She wanted to meet for lunch, which Lena normally dreaded. She’d try to get out of it most of the time, and usually succeeded by using L-Corp as an excuse. But for once in her life, she actually needed Lillian. Lena quickly typed out a response, agreeing to meet for lunch. 

This hopeful turn gave Lena a boost of energy, revitalizing her as she made her way to L-Corp and brainstormed what she would say to get Lillian to help her. Thankfully, the morning was busy with meetings and flew by. Lena waited impatiently for her mother to show up at the restaurant, drinking her water and checking her watch. She’d made it a point to be a few minutes early so she could steel herself against whatever Lillian had up her sleeve this time.

“Lena, sweetheart,” Lillian said, breaking Lena’s train of thought. 

Lena stood and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Hello, mother.”

They sat and Lillian placed their orders. Lena fought the urge to frown. She hated when her mother did that did that. It was her way of establishing control. But Lena would play nice if it meant getting the help she needed, so she didn’t say anything. They discussed some L-Corp business for a while, Lillian pretending to be supportive as she delivered backhanded compliments and tried to school Lena’s methods. It was all par for the course. Lena didn’t bite back as she normally would; she let her mother spout off ideas she’d never take, suggestions that were outside the plans she had for L-Corp. Their food came and they began to eat, Lillian continuing on her course.

“I’ll speak to the board. They should know all their options before they agree to what you’ve offered them,” Lillian said as she buttered a dinner roll. “Really, darling. This is something one would think you’d know by now.”

“Mother,” Lena interrupted. She didn’t want to keep putting this off. Every minute counted. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” Her stomach flipped and she curled her fingers into fists below the table, willing her heart to calm down. “I need your help.”

Lillian looked up at her sharply. “My help?”

Lena nodded. Her voice felt stuck in her throat, but she continued. “Yes. I need your help finding my girl- my friend. Her name is Kara Danvers. She’s a journalist for CatCo Magazine.” 

Lillian’s eyes narrowed. “She’s the one who wrote those articles about you, isn’t she?” 

“Yes. She’s a great writer. And she’s been very fair, all things considered.” Lena glanced away as she spoke, not wanting to upset Lillian. But it was the truth: most news sources had been less than fair with her, using her last name as a reason to call her out for every bump in the road she’d faced. 

“And why are you coming to me?” Lillian asked, staring Lena down. 

Lena said simply. “She’s missing. She’s been missing for over a week. And I can’t seem to find out where she is. It’s not normal for her to just disappear like this.” She went over what she knew, which wasn’t much, and what she’d been told by the police and by Alex. 

Lena looked at her mother, pleading. “I know we haven’t had the best relationship. But I know you have resources that could potentially help find Kara.” She paused, looking down at her untouched food. Lena forced herself to take a bite, then another, as the silence grew between them. 

When she looked back up, Lillian was still watching her. She had leaned back in her chair as she listened, taking a long drink from her glass before she replied. 

“I can help you,” Lillian answered.

Lena fought the look of disbelief that threatened to appear on her face. She hadn’t expected Lillian to give in so quickly. “You can?” She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank you, mother.”

“And in return,” Lillian said, with a smile. “You can help me.”

Her stomach dropped and Lena couldn’t find her voice for a moment. She should have known her mother’s agreement to her request wouldn’t come without strings attached. Clearing her throat, she responded. “Of course. Anything you need, mother.”

“Good. Let’s go then. I assume you’ve finished,” Lillian said, looking down at Lena’s half eaten lunch with a raised eyebrow. 

Lena shrugged and pushed herself back from the table, gathering her bag and jacket. She wasn’t hungry anymore. Nothing could be easy or uncomplicated with Lillian. No give without a little take. A small pebble of dread hit the bottom of her stomach and as they climbed into the back of Lillian’s car, it started to grow. She didn’t know what she’d agreed to and even though she needed her mother’s help, she was worried what her agreement meant. 

“Where are we going?” Lena asked casually, looking out the window at passing traffic.

“I know you’ve been perfecting your alien detection technology. I’m very impressed with what you’ve come up with,” Lillian responded. 

Lena looked over at Lillian, curling her fingers together on her lap. “Yes. It’s come along quite nicely.” 

“I think you and I have a common problem and a common solution.” Lillian smiled. Maybe she meant it to be comforting. It was anything but. “I’d like you to see what I’ve been working on. A sort of….pet project.” 

Lena nodded. They were pulling up to a large, imposing building. “Where are we?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. 

“Come with me, darling. I’d like your input on what I’m working on.” 

Lillian stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance, leaving Lena to climb out behind her and follow. They moved through the front doors and security like a breeze. Lillian seemed well respected here. Into the elevator and down they went. Lillian was explaining how damaging Alien Amnesty was to normal people, all of the humans who had lived here and owned this planet for a millenia. Lena fought the urge to argue and kept her mouth shut, half listening and wondering what she had gotten herself into. The doors opened and a long, bright hallway appeared before them. On either side of the hallway, glass windows opened to laboratories and test rooms.

“And so, we figured the best way to fight fire is with fire. We want to know what makes these invaders tick, how to combat them in the best possible way.” Lillian spoke as she led Lena down the hall. “We’ve been collecting samples for a while and they’ve given us quite a bit of information.” 

Lena looked in the windows as they walked by. Scientists were testing various solutions and substances in some. In others, aliens - no, people - were being tested. Some were strapped to chairs, wires attached to their bodies and heads and computer equipment recorded their response to who knew what. In others, they were strapped to tables, tubes removing fluid from their bodies. It was ugly in here, and that pebble that started so small in Lena’s stomach had become a boulder, making her nauseous and slightly dizzy. What was all of this? She couldn’t find her voice. It was lost somewhere back at the beginning of the hall, before she saw these things she couldn’t explain. Everything she saw in these rooms spoke of something sinister, something wrong. Holding these people against their will and using their biology and their weaknesses against them - everything about it made Lena’s skin crawl. 

Lillian stopped in front of a room with no windows and an intimidating metal door with a slight green glow coming from it’s edges. “We had a massive stroke of luck last week. I think we’re really going to be able to make headway in keeping our world safe, now that we have what we need.” She smiled, opening the lock with a keycard. 

The door slowly opened, revealing a dimly lit room. Slow, steady beeping came from a machine just inside. As the door opened wider, Lena could make out the shape of someone lying on a bed. The same green glow came from the bed, shining from shackles of some sort. 

“She’s incredible, isn’t she?” Lillian asked, beckoning Lena closer. 

Lena moved into the room and looked more closely at the figure on the bed. Her heart stuttered and nearly stopped, taking her breath away. She couldn’t stop the quick hiss of air she sucked into her mouth. 

Supergirl.

She lay motionless, her arms and legs bound to the bed, a strap across her neck and one across her torso as well. They were tight, so tight that they bit into her skin; it was raw and red where it had rubbed.. And tubes were strung from her arms and one from her thigh, attached to medical bags. They were putting some sort of fluid into her and taking another out. Lena assumed that was what was keeping her unconscious. Supergirl seemed small and fragile on the bed, covered in nothing but a thin sheath of fabric, her breath shallow. Her skin was pale and her eyelids fluttered as if her sleep was uneasy. Lena’s stomach rolled. This was wrong. It was all so wrong. She swallowed, reaching one hand toward Supergirl as if to brush her shoulder, but she stopped herself. 

Lena looked up at Lillian. “How did you get her?” She tried to keep the disgust from her voice. 

Lillian grinned. “It was quite the feat. This one? Well she couldn’t stop herself from playing hero. In the end, setting a little trap with some bait was quite simple.”

Lena forced a tight smile and walked away from the bed, desperate for air. The room felt too small, the air stale. Somehow, she stayed calm. Somehow, she kept her breathing steady and her hands from shaking. “What do you need me for?”

Lillian stroked Supergirl’s hair lightly, looking at her with a sickening softness, then turned to Lena. “I need your genius brain, my dear. I need you to help me figure her out, what makes her so important. So special.” She checked a chart near Supergirl’s bed, then read a readout that came from the computer. “Even with my brightest minds on this, we’re no closer to cracking her magnificent DNA. Once we have her broken down, Cadmus will be able to use the evidence we’ve gathered from her, and from our other subjects, to convince the government and the world that Alien Amnesty is a hazard. We’ll be able to use what we learn to manufacture defenses that will really keep us all safe.” 

Lena nodded. “I understand. That makes sense.” She felt sick and moved to the doorway, pretending to read a report that had been left in the built in cubby on the wall. She used the few moments of quiet to gather her wits. She took a deep breath and licked her dry lips nervously, then turned back when she heard Lillian speak again. 

“So, will you do it?” Lillian asked, her face confident. “Will you be the head of the Supergirl study? You’ll have full access to Cadmus’ resources. All of them, at your disposal.” 

Lena knew her question was more of a demand. Tit for tat. If Lillian was going to help Lena, she expected this in return. And Lena couldn’t let this chance go by. She needed what Lillian had on hand to find Kara. And she had Supergirl and all of the other aliens she’d managed to round up. She couldn’t leave them in here, like lab rats or prisoners. She had to find a way to get them out. And the only way she could would be by agreeing to Lillian’s terms and working from the inside. And the sooner she got Supergirl out, the better. If her attempts to find Kara failed, Supergirl would be able to find her, no doubt about that. 

“Yes, absolutely. I’d love to be involved in this project,” she replied. 

Lillian looked positively thrilled. “Wonderful. We can work together to reach our common goal. And as repayment, you can use whatever resources Cadmus has to offer to find your friend.” 

Once they were back on ground level, Lena could finally breathe easier. Lillian walked her to the entrance of the building. Taking her hand, she spoke in a quiet voice. 

“I’m quite proud to have you on the team, Lena.”

Lena tried not to snatch her hand from her mother’s grasp. She gave Lillian a small smile, a smile she hoped came off as nervous, not upset. “I’m glad I can be part of this. I’d really like to help in any way that I can.” 

Later that night, work finished and finally back home again, Lena sat on her balcony and pondered what she needed to do to pull this off. After more than a week, she had a problem she could solve and the resources to do so. The perpetual knot that had been in her chest during that time had begun to unravel a bit. She could focus, determine what needed to be done, and execute her plan. Lena felt a tiny glimmer of hope in her chest, hope that she’d find out what happened with Kara and finally bring her back home.


	4. Chapter 4

An irritating beeping broke through Alex’s sleep, jolting her awake, sending her upright. She slapped her hand against the plastic box, silencing the alarm clock. Groaning, she rubbed her face. Maggie’s hand slid across the small of her back.

“You okay?” she asked, sitting up. She pressed a kiss to Alex’s shoulder and Alex leaned into her. 

“Mmm,” Alex hummed noncommittally. She dropped her legs off the side of the bed and stretched, not meeting Maggie’s gaze. “Gotta get ready for work.”

As Alex moved around the apartment getting ready, she could feel Maggie’s eyes on her. She did her level best to ignore them, not quite sure what to say. She was exhausted, her resources were being exhausted, not to mention the DEO’s. And she felt they were still no closer to finding Kara than they had been a week or so ago. She poured a mug of coffee and drank from it deeply, willing the caffeine to work it’s magic. Last night’s sleep had been restless, and that was being generous. Alex wondered how Maggie had slept through her tossing and turning.

“Danvers,” Maggie said quietly. She walked from where she stood, packing her bag by the bed, over to where Alex was in the kitchen and placed her hand on Alex’s arm. “Please talk to me.”

Alex swallowed her coffee and turned toward Maggie, leaning one hip against the counter. “We have nothing new on Kara,” she replied, staring down at her mug. Her voice caught as she tried to continue and she stopped, clearing her throat. “We’ve just hit a dead end.” 

Maggie pulled the mug from Alex’s hands and set it on the counter, then slid her arms around her waist. “Babe, everything will be okay.” 

Alex couldn’t disguise the tiredness in her voice, the tightness around her eyes. “I know,” she replied, unconvincingly.

“But what if it’s not,” Maggie said. “That’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it?” 

Alex nodded. She hadn’t dared say it out loud. What if? What if they never found her, or they found her but it was too late? She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the terribly violent imagery that suddenly filled her brain to go away. If Kara was hurt, or worse, Alex couldn’t bear it. She wouldn’t survive the loss of her sister, she knew it deep in her bones. Her helplessness ached in her like an infection. Day and night, she did everything she could to find Kara. Maggie finally forced Alex to put down her computer and get some sleep last night, the dark circles underneath her eyes were worrisome. 

Maggie sighed and stroked Alex’s back lightly. “Look, I don’t know. I wish I had all the answers for you. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling. But whatever happens, you’ve got me here. I’ll help you in any way that I can.” She looked at Alex, worry crinkling her eyebrows together. 

Alex tried to smile, forcing the corners of her mouth up, but she knew it didn’t meet her eyes. “I know,” she responded softly. “It’s just a lot to deal with.”

The two finished getting ready for work in silence, Alex lost in her whirlwind of thoughts, and parted ways with plans to meet up after work. As she walked into the DEO, her phone began buzzing. Hank’s name showed on the screen.

“Hank, I just got in,” Alex answered, a bite of irritation to her voice. “I’ll see you in a minute.” She didn’t wait for a reply, just pressed End and continued to make her way down the hall to the control room where she knew her team, and Hank, would be waiting. 

Hank caught her eye as she entered, a frown on his face. He was obviously displeased with her shortness. Alex knew her behavior was uncalled for - he was her superior, and her friend, and there was no need to treat him so poorly just because she was worried. She frowned as well and looked down at a paper that some private had thrust into her hand. There were a list of coordinates, possible locations for where Kara might be. Someone must have come through in the research last night.

Hank walked over to Alex. “I know you’re worried, but - ” he started.

Alex stopped him. “I’m sorry, Hank. No excuses. I was out of line.” 

Hank’s face softened and he took a breath. “Look, we’re doing our best. _You’re_ doing your best. We’ll find her, I’m sure of it.”

Alex smiled, but it was a poor imitation. “I know. I was up late, trying to track down the information on that subspecies we were looking into. All my data was no good. It was either outdated or non-existent.” She ran a hand through her hair, mussing it up slightly. “I’m so frustrated.”

Hank pointed at the paper in her hand. “But we’ve got these. They came in early this morning; all areas with a higher than normal radioactivity readings that are close to the ones found in kryptonite. We called for a task force first thing and they’re in the briefing room right now.” 

Alex looked at him in shock, which dissolved into irritation. “No one called me? I want in on this. I need to be on that team.” 

Hank grabbed her arm as she turned towards the briefing room. “And I need you at your best. Did you even sleep last night? Or the night before that?” He looked over Alex’s appearance, all pale skin and dark circles. She constantly seemed on edge, nearly vibrating with nervous energy, her hands twisting together in front of her subconsciously. “The team isn’t going anywhere for a few more hours. We’ve done some initial flyovers but otherwise we don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into here, so there’s still planning to be done. You? Go rest. We can wake you up in a couple of hours.” 

He knew Alex would protest and she did, the whole short journey from the control room to a small office with a cot inside. Hank pushed her gently down to sit on the cot and gave her a look that dared her to argue with him. Even in her distressed state, Alex knew better than to push too hard. And truth be told, she was exhausted. Hank left with a promise to wake her soon and turned the lights out on his way. Alex’s mind wandered as she lay in the cool, quiet darkness, willing herself to go to sleep. But the awful, violent questions she had kept rattling around in her brain. When she finally drifted off to sleep, it was fitful and full of nightmares.

* * *

 

Alex dreamt of a deep darkness, overpowering and suffocating her, blood on her hands and on her cheeks, of bones breaking and an overwhelming pain in her chest. When she looked down, Kara lay at her feet, her eyes open but lifeless. Alex tried to reach down to her but she couldn’t move, couldn’t bend her spine or make her limbs work. She shouted Kara’s name, a hoarse call to her to get up, to blink, to do anything to indicate she was okay. Kara was motionless and Alex knew she was gone. Tears fell from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks onto Kara’s skin, then turned red as they splashed into small circles against her pale cheeks. She tried again to bend down, forcing her arms away from her sides. As they slowly eased away from her body, pain filled her, radiating from her chest outward and Alex knew she wouldn’t survive.

* * *

 

“Alex,” someone was saying. Hands clutched her shoulders and shook her roughly. Alex forced her eyes open, blinking in the dim light. She shivered, her skin clammy and heated. For a few moments, she couldn’t figure out where she was or who was touching her. She pulled away, curling up into the corner of the cot. She blinked again, trying to focus.

Hank stood above her, his hands outstretched. As she shied away, he dropped them to his sides. He seemed speechless, his eyes wide and eyebrows knit with worry. “Alex, it’s me.” 

Alex took a deep breath, slowing her heartbeat as she inhaled and exhaled. Her voice was hoarse when she finally answered. “I’m sorry.” It was all she could think of to say.

“Are you okay?” Hank asked, stepping back as Alex stood up on shaky legs.

“Nightmare,” she said quietly, then cleared her throat. Alex wiped her forehead and pressed the backs of her hands to her cheeks. Gathering herself for a minute, she focused on calming down. It was just a dream, she told herself. Finally, her breathing steadied and her heartbeat followed. “Are they leaving?” she asked.

Hank nodded, recognizing Alex’s need for normalcy. “Yes, they’ve split into two teams. They’re going to the two northernmost locations first and then will work their way down.” They walked into the hall and discussed details of what they expected to find. 

As they made their way to the control room, Alex flexed her hands subconsciously. She was full of nervous energy. She wanted to be out there,  _ needed _ to be out there. Her life meant nothing without Kara by her side. Hank watched her out of the corner of his eye. Nearing the entrance, he stopped short, wrapping one hand gently around Alex’s wrist. 

“Alex, I need you in this. I need your brain, your skills, your knowledge and strength.” He looked down at her hands, watching them clench and unclench. Alex followed his gaze and when she noticed her actions, she forced her hands to relax.

“I know,” Alex replied. She looked at Hank, saw the worry on his face, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Hank, what if we can’t find her?” A single tear rolled down her cheek, lingering on her jaw. She swiped it away. Her chest felt tight with resentment at this lack of control over her emotions. 

Hank opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it again and, instead, reached forward and pulled Alex into his arms, pressing his hands against her back comfortingly. He held her, ignoring looks from their team, until her silent tears dried up and her shaking stopped. No words were said, no lecture or discussion of plans, just quiet comfort.

 

* * *

 

Lena sat at her desk, quiet and blank faced, as she sipped her coffee and stared into nothingness. Her mind raced, pondering the new problem she faced: how to get Supergirl out of Cadmus’ grip. She felt the weight of finding Kara, running L-Corp, and, now, helping Supergirl on her shoulders and it was a heavy burden to bear. She drank deep from her mug, ignoring the scalding burn that ached its way down her throat. How would she pull this off? 

“Miss Luthor,” Jess said, interrupting her thoughts. 

Lena set down her mug and looked up at her secretary with a distracted smile. “Yes?” 

“I have a delivery for you,” Jess replied, walking into Lena’s office, holding a manila envelope. “It came by courier just now.”

Lena stood and reached across her desk, taking the envelope. “What is it?”

Jess shook her head. “It came with instructions that it should only be opened by you. I hope it’s okay that I accepted it.”

Lena looked at it curiously, then gave Jess a comforting smile. “Yes, of course it is. Thank you, Jess.”

Jess left quietly, shutting the door behind her. Once it was shut, Lena sat, turning the envelope over in her hands. A seal on the flap indicated where it had originated - Cadmus. Lillian must have sent something over for review, Lena thought to herself. She opened it and a paper slid from within, followed by a flash drive. She recognized her mother’s handwriting. 

_ I’m providing you with some information from our databases which may be of use to you when you try to find your friend. More can be found here at our office. I hope you’ll join us soon, as there is still so much work to be done. _

__      -  Lillian _ _

Lena raised an eyebrow. It seemed Lillian intended to keep her promise to share her resources so Lena could do her work. But at such a high cost. She didn’t want to be involved in what Lillian was doing, what Cadmus intended to do to these aliens. Somehow, she had to help them. Again, Lena was struck with the impossible task at hand. As she moved to plug the flash drive into her computer, a photo on her desk caught her eye. It had been taken a few weeks back during an outing with Kara and her friends. Everyone had been there, including her sister and her sister's girlfriend. Suddenly, she knew what she needed to do. Lena picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts, before finding the one she needed. As the phone rang, Lena tapped her fingers against her desk, hoping everything would work smoothly this time.

“It’s Lena,” she said, feigning confidence when Alex answered. “Can we meet? I have something important I need to talk to you about.” 

 

* * *

 

They agreed to meet at a coffee shop a few blocks from L-Corp that evening, after Lena finished up with her work day and Alex finished with whatever it was she did. The time couldn’t go by fast enough. Every moment that passed was one more moment wasted when she could be searching for Kara. But she needed to know what Alex knew about Supergirl. She knew they worked together from time to time. And maybe she had some way of helping to get her away from Cadmus. 

When Lena walked into the coffee shop, Alex was already waiting for her, a gigantic cup of coffee sitting on the small table in front of her. She stood as Lena approached. Her appearance seemed as haggard as Lena felt, as if sleeplessness had kept her up at night and rest wasn’t anywhere to be found in the near future.

“Alex,” Lena greeted her. “Thank you for meeting with me. I know our last meeting was, well, less than professional.”

Alex nodded, her mouth tight. “Not a problem, Lena.”

Lena sat and Alex followed suit. “I’ll just get right to it, then,” Lena said quickly. “You work with Supergirl sometimes, yes?”

Alex’s eyes flashed with something Lena didn’t recognize, before she narrowed them and answered. “I do, from time to time.”

“Good. I assume you know she’s been absent lately, at least from what I can tell by the news.” Lena fidgeted with the bracelet around her wrist, unnerved by Alex’s obvious discomfort. 

“Yes, she has been. She’s been -” Alex said but Lena held up a hand to stop her. 

“I know where she is,” Lena interrupted

This obviously wasn’t what Alex was expecting. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, but no sound came out. 

“Cadmus has her,” Lena said quietly

“How do you know?” Alex questioned. “How do _you_ know about Cadmus?”

Lena frowned. “Unfortunately, that’s where things get a little more complicated.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “My mother, Lillian Luthor, is the head of Cadmus.” 

Alex looked at Lena skeptically, a million questions clear on her face. “And how can I trust what you’re saying?” 

Lena looked Alex square in the eyes. She’d expected doubt. She wasn’t sure how to fight it other than with complete honesty and transparency. “I guess you can’t. But I have nothing to gain from telling you this, other than the hope that you can help me find a way to get Supergirl out. And if you do, she can help find Kara. It’s a win-win situation, in the long run, especially for you. I’m not involved with Cadmus, never have been. But my mother offered me a position as head of the team that is currently working on a project involving several aliens, including Supergirl. A project that they hope will convince the government to end alien amnesty. I saw her - Supergirl - in their facility, last night.” She stared at her hands in her lap. “I don’t agree with what they’re doing. It’s wrong - experimenting on people like that.” Looking at Alex again, she spoke sincerely. “I’m bringing this to you because I thought you might know what to do and I’m willing to give you whatever I know to help her.” 

Alex bit her lip and swallowed. Her cheeks had paled and she seemed uncharacteristically disturbed as Lena spoke. When she finished, she leaned back in her chair. Alex took a long drink from her cup, then set it down with a grimace. Silence followed, full of hesitation and apprehension. 

“Lena, I need to tell you something,” Alex finally said. “And I tell you this in the strictest confidence. And only because it seems absolutely necessary at this point, given what you’ve just told me.” Lena nodded, leaning forward expectantly. “What you said really worries me,” Alex continued. “For more than just the reasons you’ve explained.” She stopped talking as her voice caught on the end of her sentence and Lena watched as she visibly struggled to maintain composure, her dark eyes shining with unshed tears. When she finally spoke, her voice was thick and low. “Supergirl is important to me because of who she is. She’s more than just our city’s hero. She’s my sister. Kara is Supergirl.” 

Lena looked at her in disbelief, struggling to make sense of what Alex had just said. She thought back to the previous night, to the sight of Supergirl lying on that hard bed, her hair spread out around her head and her shallow breaths barely moving her chest. She couldn’t reconcile the image of Supergirl, weak and unable to move with the last one she had of Kara, full of life and laughter with her bright, happy eyes. She thought back to the hundreds of times she’d watched Kara from across the room and the hundreds of times Supergirl had helped Lena in some way. Lena shook her head. They couldn’t be the same person, could they? 

Alex reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “Kara is Supergirl. If what you’re saying is true, then we know where Kara has been and we need to do something to save her, to save everyone in there.” 

At the touch of Alex’s hand, Lena came out of her stupor. She shook her head. “Are you sure?” 

Alex nodded, her eyes serious and her mouth a grim line. “Yes. I’ve known that Kara was Supergirl since she first became Supergirl. Trust me, I didn’t want her risking her life to be a superhero.” She laughed humorlessly as she spoke.

Lena finally smiled, a small turn up of her lips. It sounded just like Kara to do something rash like that. Not that she wasn’t thankful. She still wasn’t sure what to do with all the information she’d just been given. It was a lot to take in. And her heart ached when she thought of Kara, her Kara, being poked and prodded and observed, experimented on, scared out of her mind and unable to move with the restraints wrapped around her body. Tears came to her eyes and she quickly brushed them away as they fell. Lena would help Alex, that much she was sure of. They’d work until Kara, and everyone else Cadmus had taken, was safe again.

* * *

 

Kara heard something, fuzzy, white noise. It was quiet, she couldn’t quite pick it apart but as she focused, it grew louder. Not noise. A voice. Someone saying her name. Reading something. Things she couldn’t understand. Medical terminology. Something about chemistry. Her chemistry. A rustle of paper. An impatient sigh. Two voices. One was angry. The other was soft.

She tried to turn her head toward the sound. The movement hurt. Her neck was tight, the muscles barely responsive. Her eyes felt glued shut. All Kara saw was darkness, not even a red glow from light coming through her eyelids. She squeezed them anyway, then tried to force them open. Nothing. They just weren’t responding. Her blindness felt oppressive. She tried to move her arms. They remained still. Panic welled up in her chest, threatening to suffocate her. 

_ Relax _ , Kara thought to herself. She stopped trying to move for a moment, ignoring the voices, ignoring everything but what she told herself.  _ Panicking won’t help. You need to stay calm. _

Using every bit of power she could muster, she tried to move her hand. Finally, movement. She opened it, flexing her fingers, wiggling them slightly. A pinch, there, just at the top of her hand. An IV? Where was she? Was she in the hospital? 

She felt everything. The thin fabric covering her. The cold metal holding her limbs down. The air brushing across her body. Her skin was crawling, tingling. She tried to turn her head the other way but all she felt was the deep ache of tight muscles. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye. Everything hurt. Every body part, every inch of skin. She couldn’t move. Her arms were bound. Her ankles were bound. Even her torso. Kara took a deep breath. Tried to. The band across her stomach prevented it from expanding too much. Everything came in bursts. Thoughts, movements, memories. 

A call for help.

A flash of green light.

Metal biting into her skin.

Excruciating pain, everywhere, like she was on fire. 

Like every nerve ending was exposed.

Waking up on the table. 

 

Lena. 

 

She heard her voice, thought she heard her, thought she smelled her perfume. It was so close, a memory just over the edge of the horizon. She chased it. Lena, talking to someone, discussing Kara, clinically. Her voice was disinterested. No. Kara heard the subtle inflection of her voice, the slight catch at the end of a question. How Lena’s voice rose, infinitesimally. She was upset. Worried. 

Lena had been close, so close that Kara could feel the heat radiating off of her skin. She’d wanted to call out, to ask Lena to stay with her. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t open her mouth. 

Kara tried to piece together what little information she had from her memories. It wasn’t much. But there was Lena. She’d been there, right next to her. That much Kara knew for sure. Another tear leaked out, dripping off her face onto the bed below. 

If Lena had been here, there was hope. If Lena had been here, Kara would be okay.


	5. Chapter 5

Lena perched on a stool and looked over Kara’s body with a worried frown. She had several bruises, most from where her shackles bit into her skin, a couple marred her cheekbones. Her arms held constellation of pinpricks from the many IVs and injections that had taken place on her during her captivity. Gently, she touched one, red and sore looking. Kara flinched, her eyes squeezed together more tightly, and she pressed her lips together, a small whimper coming from her throat. Lena breathed a quiet apology.

“Lillian,” Lena said calmly, without looking away. “I need to address these wounds.”

Lillian walked over to where Lena sat, still holding Kara’s file. “What do you mean?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. She looked over Kara’s arms and legs with a clinical gaze. “There’s a price to be paid with advancement and gaining knowledge.”

Lena peered up at her mother, forcing her face into the mask of calmness she’d been forced to adopt since agreeing to work with Cadmus.

“Mother, if the subject is to produce satisfactory results and information, she must be kept in the best condition possible. Taking too much and not replenishing the source is only going to hurt our progress.”

Lillian’s eyes narrowed and she frowned. “I suppose you’re right.” She gestured toward a small cabinet in the corner of the room. “Everything you need should be in there.”

Lena nodded and stood from her chair, moving toward the cabinet. Lillian stopped her with a hand around her upper arm.

“Be careful not to remove her shackles,” she warned Lena. “They’re powered by Kryptonite, you know. Even in her weakened state, I’d wager she’s strong enough to overpower even our strongest security guards.” Lillian replaced Kara’s file in the folder and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

For a few long moments, Lena stood still, lost in thought. Her chest felt hollow. Every second she spent at Cadmus was like a betrayal to Kara, to their relationship. How could she have agreed to this? There had to be a better way to help her. Her mind went back to the past few days, to the hours she’d spent hunched over Kara’s unconscious body as she’d tested her reaction to various stimuli, as they’d taken blood from her bruised veins only to have Lillian declare it wasn’t enough and to go back for more. Her knees grew weak and she bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything to Kara. Not yet, Lena reminded herself. Not yet. There was still so much to do before she could tell Kara the truth about her role with Cadmus.

Shaking her head slightly, Lena opened the cabinet and found a stock of medical supplies and equipment. She removed what she needed - antiseptic, bandages, and some antibiotics - and prayed that they would work with Kara’s molecular makeup. She knew next to nothing about Kryptonian DNA. Surely, though, any sort of medical attention would do her well. She sighed as she sat on her stool again, looking at one of the bottles intently. A slight movement in the corner of her vision startled her. Kara had turned her head to look at Lena, her blue eyes filled with pain and fear. Lena looked back at the label, avoiding Kara’s gaze.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice nothing but a hoarse rasp.

Lena’s heart thudded in her chest, but she didn’t respond. She knew that Kara must be in pain. Lena swore she could feel it all herself - every bruise, every injection mark, the weakness caused by the Kryptonite. She looked away and poured some antiseptic onto a cotton ball, then gently began to swab at a particularly red injection site on Kara’s arm.

As Lena continued cleaning her wounds and dressing them, Kara spoke again, her voice a little clearer. “Please let me go. You don’t need to do this.”

Lena swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure how to respond, or if she even wanted to at this moment. Her voice was stuck in her throat, somewhere between the guilt she felt for working with Cadmus and the anxiety she felt for the situation Kara was in. Lena kept working silently, trying to give off an air of clinical distance. It was too early, too soon for any of this to be happening. She had plans to put into motion, important things that needed to be done before she could reveal to Kara that she knew who she was. It made her stomach turn to think of what Kara must be thinking, how despicable she probably found her. Like mother, like daughter.

“I can tell you guys everything you need or want to know about me,” Kara pleaded. “I won’t fight back. I won’t tell anyone. Just let me go and I’ll tell you anything you want to know about Kryptonian biology.”

Lena clenched her jaw and steeled her gaze, locking her eyes with Kara’s. “I need you to be quiet. I have things to do and you’re distracting me,” she snapped, her voice harsher than she meant it to be. Inwardly, Lena winced at the sound.

Kara flinched visibly, as if she’d been slapped, then turned her head away slightly. Lena’s hands moved faster now, trying to make quick work of dressing the wounds on her arms. She heard a small sniffle and looked over to see Kara bite down on her lower lip just as it began to tremble. Lena’s heart broke. She wanted to undo Kara’s restraints, to let her loose and bundle her up in her arms, to comfort her and let her know she was there to help, not to hurt her. Taping the last bandage into place, Lena gathered up her supplies and pushed back from the bed, her stool scraping loudly against the tile floor. Placing everything back in its place in the cabinet, she strode to the door and opened it.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning to resume testing,” Lena said quickly, her voice tight with emotion, emotion she prayed would pass for irritation. With a quick swipe, she switched off the main lights in the room and left, locking the door behind her.

The walk from Kara’s room to the parking lot wasn’t particularly long, but that afternoon it seemed to take a lifetime. Several Cadmus employees stopped her on her way, asking her questions about the project and requesting her signature on this form or that one, and by the time she finally made it to her car, she felt sick with anxiety and sadness. Fifteen minutes, she told herself quietly. Fifteen minutes to get home, and then you can fall apart.

Thankfully, her drive home was quick and uneventful. Lena had left early enough to miss rush hour traffic and she had no appetite so stopping for food was unnecessary. When she finally stepped through the door of her apartment, she slumped against it, every ounce of energy drained from her body. The sick feeling that had plagued her worsened, seeping into her bones until her joints and head ached, and she had a knot in her stomach that left her nauseous. Lena wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this up and she texted Alex as much. Kara appeared in her mind’s eye, an image of her on their last date, happy and bubbly, excited to be trying a new restaurant. And then the sight of her lying on the hard bed at Cadmus, weak and pale, with dark circles underneath her eyes appeared. Lena’s stomach lurched then and she rushed for the kitchen sink, dry heaving over it. She hadn’t eaten in days, so there was nothing to come up. She clutched the counter tightly, her fingers aching, as she retched. Her eyes watered and her stomach rolled, but eventually calmed enough for her to slide down to the ground. The tears that had gathered behind her eyes over the past hour slid down her cheeks in sheets, dropping from her jaw onto her silk blouse, ruining the delicate fabric.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there. Long enough for her back to ache and her right leg to go numb where it was curled beneath her body. Long enough for darkness to settle on the city. Lena stood on shaky legs, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes. They were dry, at last, and her crying jag had left her head pounding harder than before. Swallowing some Tylenol dry, she made her way to her bathroom, shedding her clothes before stepping into the shower. The water was hot, too hot, but Lena didn’t care.

The tile was cool as she leaned her forehead against it, letting the hot water run down her body. It left red tracks on her skin and steamed the glass encasement. Her eyes stared at the water that pooled near her feet and her lips moved silently, words forming. Soon the words had sound; a chant that came in a flood Lena was powerless to quell.

“I’m sorry.”

Over and over Lena said it into the echoing room, speaking to no one but Kara, willing her to hear what she was saying, even from miles away. She said it softly at times. Sometimes she screamed it, pounding the side of her fist against the black tile, bruising the soft flesh there. On and on and on, until the water ran ice cold, and the violent shivering of her body forced her to stop. She turned the knob, stopping the water, and pressed her fingers against the tender bruise that had already begun forming on her hand. Then she wordlessly walked to her bedroom, climbing in bed, and falling into a fitful sleep.

* * *

“The tests are producing some very promising results,” Lena said, handing the report she held to Lillian. “We found that she was able to provide us with better quality samples after being allowed brief recovery periods between testing. I think you’ll find that we get the information you’re looking for much quicker now that she can recover and replenish more often.”

Lillian read over the information quietly, her eyes scanning it quickly. Then she looked at Lena with a brilliant smile. “I knew bringing you on was a smart idea. I’m so glad we were able to convince you quickly. You’ve been able to produce results much faster than we were prior to your coming on board.”

“I’d better get back to Supergirl,” Lena responded with a weak smile. Lillian didn’t seem to notice, turning on her heel and taking Lena’s report with her.

“I’m going to let the board know of our progress, my darling. I’ll come down to see our subject soon, if that’s okay with you.”

Lena wanted to protest. Today was the day. She’d been working with Kara for a couple of weeks and she needed to tell her who she was. Each time Lena went into that room she wanted to shout it out, to let her know that she was there to help Kara, not hurt her. And now she finally could. But Lena couldn’t very well stop her mother without arousing some sort of suspicion. “Of course. Today is a recovery day, so we won’t be working together long. Just a basic question-answer session.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t get in the way of any recovery she needs. I just wanted to sit in on one of your sessions.” Lillian didn’t wait for a response, just left with the folder in hand.

Lena took a deep breath and looked at her watch. She estimated at least an hour before the board meeting would start, then maybe one more for it to conclude. She didn’t have long. Walking quickly to the elevator, she waited impatiently for it to arrive, then more impatiently for it to take her to her floor in the basement.

Finally she made it to the room to where Kara waited, propped up in a chair fitted with its own Kryptonite restraints. Only her arms were free, bound in front of her with Kryotonite shackles chained to the table. When Lena walked inside, Kara’s head lifted, her tired eyes looking over Lena disinterestedly before she looked down at the table again. Lena closed the shades covering the window, giving them privacy from the rest of the laboratory. This wasn’t uncommon, a practice she’d put into place when she had begun these question-answer sessions. When she went to the computer panel to turn on the recording equipment, she pulled up a command prompt window. Quickly typing, she entered the program that had been coded for her, then checked her watch. Five minutes until total blackout. Then she’d have 2 minutes to talk to Kara in private before the generators kicked in. Hopefully, by the time they caught the bug in their system, she would be long gone. She closed the command prompt window and turned on the recording equipment.

Lena clipped a sensor onto Kara’s finger. As she held Kara’s wrist lightly, securing the sensor, Lena longed to linger, to trace a pattern softly across Kara’s arm. But she set her hand down gently on the table and moved away, checking the attached monitor in an attempt to calm her racing heart. With a deep breath, Lena sat down across from Kara and began her line of questioning.

It was always the same.

“Where are you from?” Lena asked, tapping her pen against the clipboard that held the question sheet. Before Kara even began to answer, Lena scribbled  _ Krypton _ into the associated space.

Kara’s eyebrows raised, but she responded. Her answer matched Lena’s. “Krypton,” she said quietly.

“How long have you been on Earth?” Again, Lena didn’t wait for Kara’s response before writing the answer.

“Twelve years.”

On and on the questions went - questions about Krypton, their technology and biology, trying unsuccessfully to have Kara reveal who she was. Lena could recite the answers in her sleep. She really wasn’t sure what the point of the questioning was. Did Lillian think they could trip Kara up, make her reveal something that might help Cadmus with their plans? Whatever her goal was, she obviously hadn’t met it. Each time Lena brought her the results, Lillian sighed with displeasure and shushed any questions Lena had about the process.

Five minutes came and went and Lena began to worry. Maybe the bug wasn’t enough. Or maybe it had already been discovered. For the first time, she wished she hadn’t closed the blinds. She’d never be able to tell if guards were on their way to her room with the windows covered. Her palms began to sweat, her heart racing, and she tapped the pen harder against the table as she asked the next question on the list.

Kara noticed Lena’s erratic movements and watched her for a moment, her eyebrows knit together. Instead of answering, she asked, “Are you okay?”

Before Lena had the chance to answer, the room was plunged into darkness. Lena held her breath until the emergency lights came on, bathing them in red light. Relief filled Lena’s body and without thinking, she reached across the tabletop to brush her fingertips against Kara’s comfortingly. Kara pulled her hands back as far as she could with her restraints on, moving more quickly than Lena had anticipated given her weakened state, her eyes flashing with distrust and anger as she looked at Lena.

“Don’t touch me,” she said, her voice a harsh whisper.

Lena recoiled, hurt rushing into her chest, as she placed her shaking hands in her lap. Ignoring the pain, she leaned forward. “Kara,” Lena spoke quietly. “We don’t have much time.”

“What did you just call me?” Kara asked. Her face paled, her mouth going slightly slack.

Lena took a deep breath. “I know you’re Supergirl, Kara. Alex told me.” As Kara’s eyes widened, Lena continued. “I’m here to help you.”

Kara reached one hand out tentatively, her eyes suddenly filled with sadness and pain. “Lena?” she asked, her voice cracking.

Lena lifted her hand towards Kara’s, then curled her fingers around Kara’s hand as tightly as she could. “Yes. I’m here for you. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t tell you before because they have cameras everywhere. I only agreed to work with Cadmus to help you.” Her voice grew thick with tears. She wanted to hug Kara, to pull her shackles off of her and whisk her away somewhere she’d never be hurt again. Looking around her at the facilities, Lena continued, a sharp bite to her voice. “I hate what they’re doing to you. I hate what I’ve done to you, to all of the aliens that are down here.”

Lena watched as the brave facade Kara had managed to maintain over the past few weeks came crumbling down and her lip trembled as all the fear she felt came flooding to the surface. “I thought it was over for me. I thought I would die here,” she whimpered.

Lena tightened her grip on Kara’s hands. “No, never. I’d never let that to happen to you. I’m going to get you out of here. All of you.” She leaned forward, bending over the table to press a kiss against Kara’s palm. “The security and surveillance systems will be up any second now and I need you to act like we were before - we don’t know each other, not really.”

Kara nodded. For a breath, they sat in silence, watching each other from across the table, Lena rubbing her thumbs across Kara’s palms gently. Then Kara pulled her hands back reluctantly, resting them on the table in front of her as she’d done before the blackout. “I’ve missed you, Lena,” she said quietly.

Lena folded her hands on the table in front of her, willing them to stop shaking. “I’ve missed you.” Suddenly, a deep need filled her chest and telling Kara she missed her wasn’t enough. She needed Kara to know: to know everything she felt for her, no questions asked, no doubt in her mind. “I love you Kara Danvers. I love you. I’m going to get you out of here,” Lena said, her voice rising.

Kara’s eyes grew and then tears were falling, raining down her cheeks. A sob erupted from her chest. The lights flashed back on then, temporarily blinding the two women. Lena blinked into the harsh brightness and when her eyes refocused, Kara had steeled her gaze, though the tears still leaked down her face. All was as it had been before.

* * *

Lillian handed Lena a glass filled halfway with some sort of brown liquor, something Lena had been too tired and too distracted to pay attention to. Without fanfare, she gulped it down, ignoring the burn as it settled in her stomach.

“I’m more than pleased with what you’ve been able to glean from these sessions with Supergirl,” Lillian said, tapping her finger against the folder in front of her.

Lena smiled, a tight curl of her lips. “I’m glad, mother. I’ve worked hard. I wanted to give you the best results possible.”

“The problem we face now is: what do we do with this information?” Lillian questioned.

Lena was ready for this, had an answer prepared. “I have a suggestion.” Lillian raised an eyebrow, waiting for Lena to continue. “I think that a real show of strength would be far more effective than a ban of alien refugees or immigration.”

Lillian tilted her head slightly. “And what would you suggest?”

“A public execution.”

Lillian repeated her. “An execution. And why would this be more effective?”

Lena pushed the folder closer to Lillian. “I think our tests have proven that Supergirl is far more powerful than we’d originally believed or known her to be. She has pull outside of our galaxy, I’m sure. Her family was noble. Her cousin is Superman. She is, by all accounts, unstoppable. If we were to execute her for the world and beyond to see, it would send a message to anyone who would dare come uninvited that they are not welcome here. It would prove that we are a strong race, one that shouldn’t be trifled with.”

Lillian leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers as she pondered Lena’s suggestion. Lena wasn’t sure if she’d agree to it. But she had to try. Otherwise it was back to the drawing board and that much longer before Kara was home with her again, safe and healthy.

“I love it,” Lillian finally answered, a grin breaking out across her face. “It’s bold. And we Luthors certainly are bold.” She fixed her eyes on Lena, her smile widening. “You’ve really stepped up to the plate, Lena. I’m so proud of you, my dear.”

Lena fought back a sneer and instead smiled in response to her mother’s praise. “Thank you, mother. I’m proud to have been able to serve my family name.”

Lillian laughed, a short burst of glee. “Oh this plan is brilliant. I don’t know why I never thought of it before. No one will dare cross our borders after this, not without our consent.”

Lena walked Lillian through the plan she had drawn up, explaining to her the ins and outs of her plan to execute Supergirl. She made it clear that she must be in charge of the execution, as she’d worked more closely with Supergirl than anyone else, and Lillian agreed. They worked late into the night perfecting their plan for the execution, and when Lena finally made her way home and into bed, she fell into a dream filled sleep, nightmares with terrible, violent ends.

* * *

 

Kara didn’t allow herself to cry. At least she hadn’t until now. But the weight of Lena’s confession of love, coupled with the hopelessness and dread she’d felt the past several weeks suddenly became too big a burden to carry and each night since it had happened, she’d let the tears fall from her eyes in alarming rates. She wept with relief, sobs breaking from her throat until it was raw, her voice hoarse from the ragged breaths she pulled into her lungs.

Lena loved her. And she was here to save her. Never in her life had she felt more safe than she did knowing that Lena was on her side. Kara loved Lena, she loved her. She wanted to shout it to her when Lena had said it. It had risen up into her throat, the words were just there, on the tip of her tongue. Then the lights and cameras had come back on and she’d been forced to swallow her confession. But she had hope now and she had faith in Lena. And for the first time since she had been captured, Kara dared to dream, to look to the future, a future that unquestionably included Lena.


End file.
